Madman's Bey
by Llampaca Eating Guppy
Summary: Gingka once said that a bey's power is only to be used for bey battles. Unfortunately, there are some beys that were created solely to break this rule. (Rated T mostly for peace of mind, warning is inside if you want to check.) NEW: update concerning progress at the end of chapter 5.
1. PROLOGUE!

**Summary: Gingka once said that a bey's power was only to be used for bey battles. Unfortunately there are some beys that were made solely to break this rule.**

**Warnings: Action-ness/violence, mean people, OCs, (possible) character death(s), maybe the occasional rude word.**

"MAMA!" A little boy cried as he jolted up from bed. His eyes darted around his room for a brief moment before he ducked under the covers.

Footsteps approached and his door was flung open. "Gingka?" A familiar, soothing voice floated over to the boy, causing him to peek out from under his blankets. "What's wrong?"

"Monsters! Big, scary ones, they were chasing us. And one ate you-"

"Oh, Baby," she said as she sat on the edge of his bed, "I'm right here. It was just a bad dream."

Gingka's big, watery eyes stared at her for a moment, as if assuring his self that she really was there, before crawling into her lap. "That's good."

His mother chuckled. "Yes, it is. I don't know what your father would ever do without me."

"What's this about me?" Ryo asked as he turned the corner.

Gingka giggled. "Mama doesn't know what you would do without her."

Ryo smiled. "I would probably get myself into a lot of trouble." He came into the room and kissed his wife on the top of her head, despite having to go through a large mass of unkempt brown hair in order to do so.

"Not to mention unintentionally give our child food poisoning," she told him with a playful look.

"Oh, I'm sorry Darling," Ryo said, feigning insult, "I thought you'd asked me to help you make that cake!"

"Yes, I did." She sighed and looked over at the child in her arms, who was looking at her questioningly. "Did I ever tell you about the time your Daddy tried to help me cook, Baby?"

"No," Gingka smiled, hoping to catch a story.

"Well, let's just say it exploded. I had to sit on Daddy's shoulders to clean all the goo off the ceiling." The little redhead giggled. She turned back to her husband. "You can go on back to sleep, handsome. I think I'm going to tell our child a story before he goes back to sleep."

Gingka's eyes lit up. "Yay!" He exclaimed, leaping out of his mother's lap to get settled into his bed again. "Mama tells the best stories!"

Ryo chuckled. "Yes, having the village storyteller as a mother certainly has its perks." He sat on the bed next to his wife and wrapped an arm around her freckled shoulders. "Don't stay up too late, Momo," he whispered into her ear, "you've got a big day tomorrow."

She released some sort of sound that vaguely resembled a cross between a sigh and a snort. "I am well aware of that." She whispered back. "However, my job as a mother comes before my job as a storyteller."

"Mama," Gingka complained, "you're forgetting the story."

"All right, out with you." She told Ryo and pointed a commanding finger at the door. "This is mother-son time, so go back to bed."

"Don't let me stop you." He answered before exiting, closing the door behind him.

Momo Hagane turned to her son, who was staring at her with big, vibrant eyes, and smiled.

"Many beys have been made over the course of history," she began, "but there have only been a few true masters of crafting beys.

"Most of those master craftsmen have been good, some weren't. But there was one, not but a century ago-"

"What's a century?"

"One hundred years." She waited for her son's nod to signal he understood before continuing, "But there was one, a hundred years ago, who wasn't. This man crafted beys whose sole purpose was to cause harm, both to the wielder and others. He infused them with a special power, not dark, but just as dangerous. It was this element that caused those beys to only be able to be controlled by wielders as wild and uncontrollable as the beys themselves, whose only purpose seemed to be to watch the world burn as they destroyed it. It was this that caused them to be given the name Madman's Bey.

"Clearly, that would not do. One by one, they were defeated and the Madman's Beys were collected, hidden deep underground where it was hoped no one would find them again. But there was one that remained hidden."

"Did they ever find it?" Gingka's little voice piped up again.

Momo shook her head. "No, they never did. Some people think it was destroyed, wielder so consumed that it overcharged and self-destructed. Others say it's still out there, watching, waiting."

"What do you think, Mama?"

She smiled at her son. "I don't know, Baby. But I do know that it's late, and we have a big day tomorrow."

"What? That's it?"

"I'm afraid so," she answered, tucking Gingka under his covers.

"That wasn't a story!"

"Yes it was."

"But, but that wasn't your story!"

"Oh, and whatever do you mean by that?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

"Your stories are always so much cooler than that!" He complained.

Momo sighed. "Oh, alright, I'll tell you a good story this time, how does that sound?"

There was no reply other than a wide grin and bright eyes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hunting for an idea. She opened them with a smile, and wove her son a wild tale about a young noble who enlisted the help of a swashbuckling group of renegades in learning how to fish and wound up getting dragged into pirating after being framed for hanging a princess' bloomers from a flag pole. The premise was ridiculous, yes, but the characters were amusing (especially to Gingka) and slapstick humor abounded.

Needless to say, that story was a huge hit, even though she left him with the cliffhanger of Horace the Horridly Hairy stringing up Norbert the Noble-pirate by his underpants over a pool of jellyfish. It also meant that she was exhausted by the time she got back to bed.

.

**A/N: Hi there! So, I don't own Beyblade. That's a big shock, I'm sure. **

**Anyway, I feel I must apologize for a few things. First off, this is a bit of a setup chapter. Well, actually it IS a setup chapter. Hopefully it was still enjoyable. Second, I'm trying something new with this thing. I've never written a story as long as I plan on this one being, nor have I ever written one following this kind of storyline with, like, actual action and involving more than three characters at a time. (That's kind of a heads up that I'm going to be very curious as to how I'm doing, so if you're going to choose one of my fanfics to review, I'd appreciate it if you chose this one so I know if it's good, bad, how it can be improved, so on.)**

**Also, since this is a whole new ball game for me AND school starts next week, updates are going to be coming a lot slower for this one.**

**So, there you have it. Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcome, but I probably said that already somewhere in my author's note monologue. All well… Have a nice day :)**


	2. Chapter 1

-YEARS LATER-

Two A.M., really? His phone was going off at two A.M.? Who with any sense of decency calls someone at two A.M.? Nobody, absolutely nobody, should be dumb enough to call him at two A.M. Well, at least nobody he would want to talk to.

Needless to say, Tsubasa Otori was none too pleased to see that the obnoxious caller had left him a message when he got up that morning.

"Good morning, Tsubasa!" Yu flew into the kitchen, apparently already hyper. _Note to self: Don't give Yu sugar today._

"Morning, Yu," Tsubasa answered, disguising his agitation as he dialed the security code for his message inbox. When he found out who was calling him at two in the morning, he was going to put them through a world of hurt. "What you want for breakfast?"

"Ice cream?" Yu tried.

"No," was Tsubasa's flat answer.

"What about a sundae?" The boy tried again. Tsubasa just gave him a look. "Right," he continued, this time actually trying to think of something that Tsubasa would let him have, "milk?"

Tsubasa sighed. "That's a start, at least. Although a glass of milk breakfast does not make, Little Boy."

"HEY!" Yu yelled. Tsubasa just chuckled and put the phone to his ear. He grabbed the milk from the fridge.

"Hey, Tsubasa, it's Mark. Long time no chat, huh? I was just calling to-" the Eagle wielder froze halfway through closing the door, "oh, jeez, it's, like, three in the morning there, isn't it? My bad…" Tsubasa rolled his eyes. _Two, actually, but close enough_.

"I guess I didn't think that through very well." Tsubasa closed the fridge and noticed that Yu was looking at him funny. "What?"

"I'm transferring to the university at Metal Bey City!" Tsubasa's full attention went back to the message. "I'm gonna be in the neighborhood for a while, so I figured we could catch up, ya know?" Tsubasa smiled. "Anyways, call me back. I don't mind if it's three in the morning my time, I work the afternoon shift at my job, so don't worry about it." The message ended.

"What was that about, Tsubasa?" Yu asked.

The older teen's smile grew as memories ran through his head. "I'll tell you later, but in the meantime, how about some ice cream?"

Yu's eyes got so big Tsubasa swore they were going to pop out of his head, "Really?"

"Yes," Tsubasa replied.

A massive smile began to creep onto the younger boy's face, "Like, _really_, really for real?"

"That's what I said." Tsubasa stated as he hoisted a gallon of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer.

"FOR BREAKFAST?"

"For breakfast," Tsubasa affirmed and handed him a spoon, "but don't tell anyone."

"I WON'T!" Yu promised before practically sticking his face into the ice cream container.

Tsubasa stared at him for a minute. "I didn't mean you could eat it straight out of there!"

.

Later that day, the phone's monotonous tone rang in Tsubasa's ear. He knew that Mark said not to worry if he called late, but that didn't stop the guilty feeling from creeping into his stomach for calling when it was past ten Mark's time.

"Yeah-low?"

Yellow? What was that supposed to be? "Is Mark there?"

"Is that you, Tsubasa?!"

"Yes," Tsubasa answered. Now all he had to do was let Mark's motor mouth kick in, "sorry it's so late."

"What? Dude, I told you not to worry 'bout that! And it's only 'leven thirty."

"_Only_ eleven thirty?"

"Uh, yeah- only 'leven thirty, that's what I said. My sleep schedule hasn't changed much."

"You mean your tendency to have no sleep at all."

"HEY!"

"It's true and you know it."

"You know what? I miss the old days, when I'd think up a sinister scheme for world domination and you'd show a little EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!"

.

"Um, do you hear that?" Yu asked.

Kenta stopped to listen. Sure enough, vivacious laughter could just be made out. But, they were in a park- why would that be unusual? "Um, laughing?"

"Not just laughing," Yu corrected, "_Tsubasa_ laughing!"

The green-haired boy studied the sound. "I don't know. I've never really heard Tsubasa laugh that much."

Yu frowned. "I'm gonna go and check it out."

"Okay," Kenta sighed and followed the boy in his quest to locate the origin of the laughter. "Why is it such a big deal?"

"BECAUSE," Yu spun around, "there's something wrong with Tsubasa! This morning, he let me have ice cream for breakfast!"

"For BREAKFAST?" Kenta couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yu nodded gravely. "Yeah, you're right, something's funny. Let's go."

The two boys followed the laughter until they got to the edge of the park, where there was a conglomeration of trees. What they saw made them stop in their tracks.

Tsubasa was on his knees, doubled over, laughing so hard that tears were streaming from his face.

"What do you think's wrong with him?" Kenta whispered.

"I don't know." The blonde boy responded.

"But what if it loses the leg that isn't poisonous?" Tsubasa gasped out and flopped down, leaning against a tree. "Didn't think of that, did you?"

"Is he on the phone?" Yu whispered.

"I think so." Kenta replied.

"Mark, so help me, if you hug a three-legged platypus and die I'll kill you!"

"What?" Kenta exclaimed, barely managing to keep his voice down.

"Something wrong with him, that's for sure." Yu assessed and began to back away.

"I couldn't care less if I start the zombie apocalypse!"

The two boys scrambled away as fast as their feet could take them in terror.

"HELP!" Yu cried and practically threw himself at Gingka.

"You have to help us!" Kenta exclaimed.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Gingka asked, his eyes darting around for the source of his friends' distress.

"TSUBASA'S GONE MAD!" The blonde child sobbed, "ABSOLUTELY MAD!" Kenta nodded frantically.

Gingka could only look at them in shock.

"YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE UUUS!" Gingka was getting more and more concerned for Yu. "TSUBASA'S GONE INSANE! HE WAS SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT A PLATPUS AND THE ZOMBIE APACOLYPSE AND- AND…" He broke into tears and latched himself onto Gingka's leg.

The threesome were still like that- Yu latched onto Gingka's leg, Gingka standing in shock, and Kenta trying to get Gingka to snap out of it and detach Yu at the same time- when Tsubasa saw them and came running from the far side of the park.

"Yu!" He called from still a good distance.

The boy just clung to Gingka's leg tighter than ever. "HE'S CRAZY!"

"Yu," the older teen had reached them by now and was kneeling next to the distressed child, "what's going on?" When he realized he was going to get nowhere with Yu in his condition, he turned to Gingka, who was very confused. As far as he could tell, Tsubasa was as sane as ever.

"He looks all right to me." The redhead muttered, mostly to himself.

"What?" Tsubasa asked.

"I swear- he wasn't like that a minute ago." Kenta said, inching behind Gingka.

"What are you talking about?" Tsubasa asked.

Yu was muttering something about multiple personality disorder between sobs before using Gingka's pant leg to blow his nose. THAT was plenty sufficient to finally snap the redhead out of shock. "Ew, Yu! That's it, get off."

The quartet now consisted of Gingka hopping around trying to get Yu detached from his leg, Kenta trying to sneak away from it all while Tsubasa looked on, confusion quickly being replaced with agitation.

"ENOUGH!" Gingka lost his balance and fell backwards, which caused Yu to get a mouthful of grass. The blonde child gingerly propped himself up and spat it out. "Ouch…"

Tsubasa kneeled by him, "are you alright?" he asked while trying to clean off the boy's face, making him squirm.

"Tsubasa, stop it, I'm okay-OW!"

"Sorry," The older teen apologized, although it didn't stop him from wiping off the blonde's face. What did stop him was Kenta attempting to tackle him, "DON'T WORRY, YU! I'LL SAVE YOU!" With that, Kenta slammed into his side and squeezed his waist with all the strength that he possessed.

"Kenta!" Gingka exclaimed and pried Kenta off. "What is going on?"

Yu sniffed and gingerly touched his face. "Tsubasa was going crazy," Kenta started. Tsubasa's head popped up, "What?"

"Y-you were going crazy." Yu repeated Kenta's statement. When he was met with a blank look, he elaborated. "First, you let me have ice cream for breakfast, then you were laughing like-" that's when Tsubasa noticed that all three were looking at him like he grew a second head and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yu, did you really think I was going crazy?"

The blonde smiled sheepishly, "Yeah?"

"Oh, Yu, I was just talking with Mark. He's the one that called earlier. You remember him, right? He's got quite the sense of humor."

"But what about the ice cream for breakfast?" Kenta piped up.

Tsubasa shrugged. "Mark and I used to sneak ice cream for breakfast. I guess good memories make me nicer."

Yu stared at him for a second. "You ate ice cream for breakfast. WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS DID YOU HAVE?"

Tsubasa's phone went off. He glanced at it and got a confused look. "Hang on a second, Yu." He said and answered. "Hello?"

"Tsubasa, I lied! Platypuses have poisonous barbs on both their back legs!" Mark cried over the phone and Tsubasa started to laugh again. It didn't matter that he was right in front of Yu and Kenta and Gingka, he just couldn't hold it in.

"He's starting it again!" Kenta screamed and ran behind Gingka.

"Mark, how about you just stay away from platypuses, okay?" Tsubasa managed to get out. "Just hang on a second."

"Will do, Grasshopper," the reply prompted an eye roll, not that Mark could tell.

"Yu, do want to say hi?" he asked. Yu hesitated then nodded- curiosity getting the better of him. Tsubasa turned back to the phone. "Hey, Mark, do you mind if Yu says hello?"

"Sure, that's fine!" Mark said. Tsubasa handed the phone to Yu.

"Hello?" Yu said.

"Hey, is this Yu?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, kiddo, you been keeping Grasshopper out of trouble for me?"

Tsubasa smiled as the blonde's shyness began to ebb away and chatter into the phone.

.

"When's he coming over?" Yu had been practically bouncing up and down ever since he'd hung up.

Tsubasa rolled his eyes, but not in a mean way. "He's coming in two weeks."

"That LONG?" Yu's shoulders drooped.

"Don't worry; he'll be here soon enough." Tsubasa said. And he meant it.

.

**A/N: I know, I know, not much happens here, either. Please don't be too mad. I understand this might seem a little disconnected from the prologue, but it'll all make sense eventually, I promise.**

**I know that Tsubasa's a little OOC, but I originally started to write this for my sister and liked the concept, so I started to put it on here, too, which means that there's some stuff I wrote special for her because she would think it's funny. For example: basically this entire chapter.**

**Oh, and another note: this is loosely connected to my other story Letters from a Friend. I'm trying to write it so that it'll make sense without reading that first, but if you want to check that out while you're waiting for an update, go right on ahead.**

**As always, reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcome.**


	3. Chapter 2

"Could you please sit still?" Tsubasa said for the umpteenth time that day.

Yu's fidgeting ceased, at least momentarily. "Sorry, Tsubasa, this is just so BORING!" They had been waiting in the airport for Mark's plane to get there, but the landing was delayed. "Can we go get some ice cream?"

"You've already gotten ice cream twice." His older companion sighed.

Yu groaned and sank in his seat. Maybe if he looked pitiful enough, Tsubasa would let him have more ice cream, anyway.

Luckily for him, that was when the airport decided it was okay for Mark's plane to land. Passengers began to wander into the airport. Yu swore some of them were zombies, but decided to keep that comment to his self. "Do you see Mark yet?"

"Not yet," Tsubasa replied, his eyes searching the crowd of reanimated dead. Then they lit up, "There he is!" Yu suddenly found his self very much alone.

"Tsubasa?" No answer. "Tsubasa, where did you go?" still nothing.

The boy frowned. He could go and get more ice cream if he had money, but he didn't. Maybe they wouldn't mind if he just went and looked at the ice cream for a while.

.

"I thought you said that you were bringing Yu." A brown haired man said while searching for his luggage.

"I did, he's right…" Tsubasa looked around.

"Lost him, didn't you?"

"He was right behind me!"

"Sure he was," he teased and fished his suitcase off of the belt.

"Mark, this is METAL BEY CITY!"

"Calm down, Young Grasshopper," Mark said, "I'm sure he knows how to take care of himself for a few minutes. He's been out on his own before."

Tsubasa shot him a dirty look. "You have all your stuff?" He didn't even wait for an answer before he walked off.

"Well, that's probably why you lost him." Mark quipped as he jogged over with his suitcase.

They searched all over the waiting area but found no trace of him. "You know of anywhere else he might have run off to?" Mark asked.

The figurative light bulb turned on over Tsubasa's head, "Ice cream!" And he left Mark to catch up for the second time.

"Really, are you sure this is the first time you've lost him?"

.

Yu's world was falling apart. This had been a bad idea, he should have known better, He should have figured he would get into trouble, but did he, NO!

The ice cream looked so good, and he COULDN'T GET IT! The only thing he could do was stand there, staring powerlessly as other people mercilessly devoured it right before his very eyes. Why did he torture himself like this?

"YU!"

"Um, hi Tsubasa," He put on his best innocent face.

"I should have figured that you would be here."

"Hey, what's a guy got to do to get a break around here?" Another voice asked, but not in a harsh tone. Yu looked behind Tsubasa to find the source: a slim, taller young man. He certainly looked like most of the people that had wandered off of that plane did at first glance, but his brown eyes shone with something quite un-zombie like and he was grinning from ear to ear. Mark.

"Yu, this is Mark. Mark, this is Yu." Tsubasa introduced.

"Hey, Yu, it's good to meet you. Well, face to face, that is." Mark said and extended a hand to him.

"Hi," they shook hands and Yu stayed quiet, not sure what else to say.

"You're not being shy now, are you?" Why did Tsubasa find so much enjoyment in picking on him?

"It's all right." Mark told him, but it turned into a yawn. "Tired?" Tsubasa asked.

Mark shrugged. "Time difference- I'm supposed to be sleeping."

Tsubasa laughed, "Let's get you to your place."

.

-A FEW WEEKS LATER-

Madoka sighed. Finally, a day free of Gingka's crazy antics! As much as she cared about that boy, he could be more of a handful than a group of four-year-olds.

She sat down on the grass in the park- not the bey park, mind you, a _regular_ park with swings and playgrounds and little children-

"AND HUNGRY HIPPO WINS THE RACE!"

"Huh?" Madoka said to nobody in particular. She turned around to find the source of such a strange statement: a grown man and a ridiculously huge marble set surrounded by curious children. She sighed and got to her feet. This was something she just had to see.

"Can I bet this rock?" A girl asked, holding out a pebble to the man.

"Sure you can!" He replied, taking the pebble and placing it on a foldup table he must have brought with him. Alongside the pebble was an odd assortment of coins, rocks, dress-up jewelry, candy wrappers, a crayon, and an odd shoelace. _What is going on here?_

"I think Lucky will win," said the little girl again, "and I'd like a lollipop."

"Got it," the man said to her while he pulled a pen out of his wild brown hair and scribbled something down on a notepad. Given the number of other people telling him their thoughts at the same time, it was in no doubt some sort of shorthand only he could understand. "Okay, so I've got a rock for Lucky, shoelace for Arthur, bubble gum wrappers for Mr. Slinky or Wiggles, penny for Sir Lancelot, nickel for Lulu, and a crayon for Hungry Hippo." A chorus of agreements from the kids followed this statement. "All right, let the race begin!"

The man proceeded to scoop the marbles out of the bottom of his ridiculously complex obstacle course, put them in a cup, shook them around and dumped them into the funnel he had at the top. "Ooh"s and "ah"s rang through the group as the marbles found their way down towards the bottom. Finally, the first marble made it through. The man lifted it up. "AND IT'S LUCKY FOR THE WIN!" He exclaimed as the remaining marbles clattered to a halt.

"YAY!" The little girl exclaimed as the man brought out a box of candy and pulled out a lollipop, which she took and skipped off.

"All right, sorry kids that's all I'm up for today." The man told the rest of them as he pulled out yet another box and began to pick apart his ridiculously complex creation. "I'll try my best to come back out next week, okay?"

The kids slowly began to wander off towards other parts of the park as the man continued his tedious task. Once all of them were thoroughly occupied, a stray mother came by and grabbed the dress-up ring from the table and said something to the man, who laughed and nodded before returning to work.

Madoka watched the man from a distance for a little while longer before she sighed and walked over. "Hi," she started.

He glanced up for a moment and gave her a grin, "Hey."

It was a simple greeting for a simple person. His features all ran under the same color scheme: brown. Brown eyes, brown hair, tanned skin- it was as if whatever creator out there used the brown colored pencil for everything because they didn't want to get up and go find another color. Well, the bright yellow T-shirt and blue jeans helped to mask the monochromatic quality a little, but it was still noticeable.

"You need some help?" She asked.

The man paused, looking over what he had left to do. "Sure, if you want to."

Madoka smiled and started disassembling pieces. "What were you doing exactly, anyway?"

He laughed. "Hosting a marble derby, it's always been on my bucket list so I thought, 'why not?' ya know? Turns out the kids really like it."

Madoka nodded, "I noticed."

They continued their work, the only interruption being a few instructions the man gave her about sorting things. Finally, they were almost done when the man broke the silence again. "Poor little guy."

"Huh?" Madoka asked.

The man removed his gaze from a small blue marble with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I was thinking to myself- not used to having help."

Madoka chuckled. "Hey, it's alright. I do it, too. So, why is this little marble so poor?"

He shrugged. "Nobody's ever voted on Slug Bug. It's probably the name, so it's my fault, anyway, but it still makes me feel bad."

Madoka picked the marble out of his calloused palm and looked it over. "Maybe it's just because it's so small." She suggested.

The man snorted. "Now you're just trying to be nice."

"Yeah, you're right." She reached into her pocket. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I'll bet this pencil on Slug Bug next time you set up."

He took it with a grin and fished out his notepad. "All right, one pencil on Slug Bug." He said. "What prize you want?"

Madoka looked over the box of goodies, "The chocolate bar."

"Got it," he said. "You come here often? I've got to let you know if you win somehow."

"I don't," Madoka answered honestly, "but, if I do win, my dad owns the B-Pit in town. You could drop it off there."

"Oh, okay," the man said, "I know where that is. I'll let ya know if you win." He started to collect his supplies when he halted. "I didn't catch your name."

"Madoka," she answered, "yours?"

"Mark Allen," he replied, "nice to meet you, Madoka."

"Likewise," she said.

.

A week later, Madoka found Mark Allen in the B-Pit. "Guess what, Madoka?"

"I won, didn't I?"

"Why, yes you did!" He exclaimed and pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket, which she took.

"Hi, Doka!" the voice of a familiar blonde boy burst in as he ran into the B-Pit. "Hi, Markers!"

"Hey, Kiddo," Mark answered him and rustled his hair. "Is Grasshopper hanging around?"

"Yes, I am." Tsubasa stated as he entered, in a much calmer manner than his younger companion, before turning to Madoka. "I see you've met Mark."

"You three know each other?" It was the only thing she could think of to ask.

"Yeah," Yu answered before the Eagle wielder could even open his mouth. "Markers knew Tsubasa before we ever met him!"

"Really?"

"Yep," this time it was Mark who started talking before Tsubasa could. "I'm going to the university here."

"HEY! Doka, isn't the B-Pit looking to hire someone?" Yu asked, a light bulb seemingly going on over his head.

"Uh, yeah," Madoka stated, "Although I don't think you're quite old enough-"

Yu laughed. "Not me, Doka, Markers! He doesn't really battle much, either, but he still knows a lot, that's for sure!"

Madoka looked Mark with a surprised expression. "Really?"

Mark shrugged with a sheepish smile, as if to say, 'Well, yeah...'

"Well, if you decide you want the job, feel free to apply. It's mostly just dealing with the folks that come in, helping them find what they're looking for and stuff like that, ya follow?"

"Ah," Mark nodded with a grin, "I think I could manage that."

"Yes, because you're not a people person at all, Mark." Tsubasa finally managed to get into the conversation, although the harshness of his statement gave Madoka quite a shock.

"Respect thy elders, Young Grasshopper." Mark shot back.

Madoka stared for a moment, and then laughed to herself as the two promptly began to bicker. They were certainly an interesting pair.

**.**

**A/N: I STILL DON'T OWN BEYBLADE!**

… **Sorry, I got a little carried away with the caps lock there. But, seriously, I still don't. Which is probably a good thing, now that I'm thinking about it: it would be so hard to obsess over if I owned it!**

**Yeah, random thought of the day. Thanks for reading (and putting up with my so-far dull chapters). Hopefully, things should start to pick up soon. Reviews and constructive criticisms are appreciated, but not necessary.**


	4. Chapter 3

Gingka wasn't sulking. Nope. He was way too mature for that.

It wasn't like Ryuga had randomly walked into Metal Bey City after everyone thought he had DIED! And Gingka definitely didn't challenge him and lose. Again. That losing streak was starting to get old.

And it wasn't as if afterwards Kenta had run off after Ryuga to go who knows where. That would be ridiculous.

And it wasn't like, after all of that, Madoka had told Gingka that he would have to leave Pegasus overnight because her dad had asked her to show the new employee around and keep an eye on him- since it was his first day and all- and she wouldn't be able to do any repair work until tonight.

On second thought, maybe he was sulking.

The realization made him feel no better and he collapsed onto his back with a frustrated groan. He stared up at the clouds; at first with what he hoped was a menacing glare, but- oh that one looked like a bunny! How could he possibly glare at a bunny?

The little cloud bunny managed to coax a faint smile out of the redhead. He and his mom used to play this game all the time. Now, let's see, that one looked vaguely like a deformed dragonfly, that fluffy one there had a striking resemblance to a mushroom, and there was one a ways off that-

"GINGKA!"

"Huh? What?" Gingka blinked. Strange, that sounded like-

"GINGKA!"

"Hyoma?" the Pegasus wielder asked as he turned to find a very panicked, disheveled Hyoma running towards him at full speed.

"Gingka!" Hyoma said again as he collapsed next to him, gulping in air. "I need to… talk to you and your father."

What on earth was so important that Hyoma would look like such a disaster? There were sticks and leaves stuck in his hair! "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later… when Ryo's here!" Hyoma gasped out before getting to his feet again. "Where can I find him?"

"Fine," Gingka sighed and got up, "he's probably at the WBBA. We'll start there."

.

Hikaru gathered up her paperwork. Thank goodness the Director went to that meeting- now she could finally get some work done!

"DAD!" The voice of none other than the "mini-Director," as some of the WBBA employees had started to call him, came crashing in. Or she could not do her paperwork and babysit Gingka, instead.

"The Director's not here, Gingka." The blunette sighed. "He's in a meeting. What do you need?"

"We need to talk to him!" Gingka exclaimed at full volume. Was there any member of the Hagane family that didn't have 'loud' and 'louder' as their voice settings?

"Gingka, did you not hear what I just said?" She asked, messaging her temples. "He is in a meeting, an IMPORTANT one, mind you."

"Hikaru, this is important, too, trust me." A new voice came through the door, its owner an uncharacteristically unattractive sight.

"Hyoma, what happened to you?" She stammered and rushed over. She stopped dead in her tracks when she got within smelling range. Hyoma normally had this pleasant smell around him, almost like pine trees, but definitely not at the moment. How Gingka was managing to stand so close to him without passing out was amazing.

She stepped away, blinked, took a deep breath and sighed. "All right, I'll see what I can do."

Great, now she was babysitting Gingka, busting Ryo out of a meeting, and definitely not getting any paperwork for a good long while. How could this day get any better?

She shouldn't have jinxed herself like that.

Getting Ryo out of the meeting was easy, sort of. The people with whom the Director was meeting weren't terribly fond of some dumb secretary crashing their 'party,' she was sure. However, considering she had to nag the Director incessantly about attending that meeting, he was more than thrilled about her barging in.

Well, that and there was also the fact that he was so enthusiastic about leaving he had jumped onto the table, ran across the top at full speed and scattering papers everywhere, and took a flying leap through the door. He didn't even pull one "I am... THE IMMORTAL PHOENIX!" on his way out.

"So, what is all this about?" He asked her, his tone unusually official. She supposed it was because she had told him that it involved Hyoma, and therefore it was likely to involve Koma Village. The Director was very protective of his home.

"I'm not sure, sir. It must be important, though. Hyoma looks like he's been hogtied and dragged through a dumpster." S_mells like it, too._

He frowned at quickened his pace. This did not bode well.

"Hyoma, what's happening?" Getting straight to business as soon as he walked through the door? Where was this Director ninety-nine percent of the time, when she wanted him to do constructive things?

"The Madman's Beys have been stolen."

Hyoma's plain statement must have been important. Ryo's face creased in worry and Gingka's eyes were as wide as saucers. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant, true, but "Madman's Beys" didn't have a good sound to it.

The Director grabbed Hyoma by his shoulders, "How many?" How he was seemingly managing not to notice that Hyoma smelled like he had been buried alive in a pit of garbage was beyond all reason.

"Two: Models One and Two are gone."

Ryo released him and nodded. "They didn't break through to the second barrier."

Hyoma shook his head. "No, Kira found them before that."

Kira? Who was Kira? Hikaru found herself feeling extremely curious, but decided against voicing such questions under the circumstances.

"Is she all right?"

"She'll be fine, although she's pretty banged up."

The Director sighed in relief. "It could be worse, although looking over Koma will be a little more difficult without her."

"That's true. I can only be on one side of the mountain at one time." Hyoma responded, and Hikaru finally noticed how horrible the poor boy's voice sounded and walked out. It wasn't like she was helping by just standing there listening to them. She might as well do something constructive, even if it was something mundane.

She returned with some water, which Hyoma took. The grateful look he gave her did not escape her notice. _Glad I could help._

"Oh good, you're back." Ryo said. "We'll be going off to pack now- if someone comes looking for me, tell them I'm sick or something."

Hikaru blinked. Off to pack? "In that case, you'll need to take a few things," she told him. "How long are you going to be gone?"

Her question was answered with a surprised look. Apparently, he hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

"It doesn't matter," she hastily added, "Just take these," she practically shoved a pile of portfolios into his arms. "It's mostly routine stuff, except for Hiroto's request for a raise."

Personally, Hikaru hoped that he didn't get that raise. He was already making almost twice as much as Tsubasa, despite the two of them being in the same line of work. Tsubasa didn't seem to mind, though, so maybe there were more factors involved in Hiroto's higher salary, but the fact that he wanted a raise while already making so much more than one of her friends irked her.

"You'll hold down the fort while I'm gone?" The Director's statement sounded as much like an order as it did a question.

"Of course, if push comes to shove I can always make Tsubasa help."

The Director chuckled. "That's true. Have fun!"

And then he was out the door.

"Dad, wait up!" There went Gingka.

Hyoma stopped on his way out. "Thanks, Hikaru."

She shrugged. "It's nothing. And if you need anything, just call me. After you shower- or before, it doesn't matter." She mentally kicked herself. "You know what, they're going to leave you behind if you keep standing there much longer."

Hyoma ran through the door without as much as a second glance.

Hikaru collapsed into a chair with a groan and messaged her temples. She now had at least a few days off from trying to keep Ryo on track, yes, but now she was stuck trying to keep the WBBA running smoothly on her own while he was gone.

Starting with that meeting. There was a roomful of important people who were expecting the director of the WBBA to return.

.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

She exhaled slowly, quietly, through her nose, listening to the sound of her own heart.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

She allowed her eyes to open briefly then closed them again.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Her heart monitor ceased to function with the familiar crunch of plastic and metal. She opened her eyes again, and fixated them on the man responsible for its termination.

He tilted his head at her with a coy smile. His shiny navy hair was pulled back out of his face, exposing the cut on his cheek that _girl _had managed to inflict before he put her out of existence. He had always been powerful, but now, with his new bey, he was even more so.

And she was, too. She lightly ran her fingers along the incision on her abdomen. The pain that should have been there was not, replaced by the wild power she could feel coursing through her veins.

"Caledonia," his silky voice reached her ears, "how are you feeling?"

She turned to face him. He was perfect, magnificent.

"I can feel its power inside me," she purred.

He reached over and stroked the wild mass of florescent pink hair on top of her head. "It's wonderful, isn't it, my Huntress?"

She brought her hand up over his. "It is. I can't wait to test it."

He chuckled- a deep, alluring sound. "I think I may have found us the perfect test subject."

**.**

**A/N: Hey, we're actually getting somewhere… YAY! **

**Anywho, I still don't own Beyblade, reviews and constructive criticisms are more than welcome, as usual. You guys probably know the drill by now.**


	5. Chapter 4

"Hey, boss, can I ask a favor?"

Madoka looked up from her work on Pegasus. "Isn't your shift over?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Never mind," she waved it off, "what do you need?"

"Your dad letting me work today and then take off for a week is awesome and all, but-"

"But what?"

"Well, Tsubasa's gonna be wondering where I've run off to."

"And you want to surprise him?" Mark's grin was all the answer she needed. "He's not easy to surprise, you know."

Mark chuckled. "Don't you worry about me, boss. I've known that kid for over a decade. I just need somebody to keep him off my scent for a week while I practice."

Madoka bounced that piece of information around in her mind. Someone referring to Tsubasa as a kid sounded weird. "I'll do my best to cover for you."

"Thanks," he said and turned to head back up the stairs.

"But Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"When was the last time you battled?"

A surprised look darted across his face for a moment. "When I was around ten, probably… why?"

"And you're how old now?"

"Twenty-five. Where are you going with this?"

Madoka resisted the urge to bang her head against a wall. "Do you _really_ think that one week's worth of training is going to make that much of a difference against Tsubasa?"

What she was trying to say finally seemed to get through to him. "Oh! You mean with Grasshopper being in the big leagues and everything." She nodded.

Mark laughed. "Jeez, you really look out for your employees here! I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, boss, don't you worry."

"Suit yourself," she told him, and he headed up the stairs. If her dad had cleared it, and he really wanted to, who was she to stop him? She tried to tinker with Pegasus some more, but eventually put it back down. Mark was strange. How could someone who hadn't battled in fifteen years think that one week's worth of training was going to make that much difference? Was he truly just that naïve? She leaned back with a sigh. Not to mention the folder her dad had left her. She hadn't looked at it yet, she was going to wait until she was bored, but apparently it had something to do with their new employee.

She really needed to show her dad how to use computers. Nobody used actual paper folders anymore.

She grabbed it and flipped it open. It wasn't like she was doing anything constructive, anyway.

The first thing was a copy of Mark's signature. At least, she assumed it was Mark's. In reality, it said: _Toby Marcus Allen_.

Okay, so the guy had a nickname. What was the big deal?

The next thing was a printed picture of a young, brown haired, brown eyed, tan skinned boy in front of a bey stadium. Her dad had "Toby Allen" written underneath.

Next, there were statistics: age, rivals, tournament results, bey type- the whole shebang.

She didn't get to look at the rest, because she got a phone call from Gingka asking if Pegasus was ready and wound up getting dragged into agreeing to go with him to Koma Village so he wouldn't have to be without Pegasus for so long.

.

Mark tossed the note onto the table and grabbed his backpack. He had no doubts that Madoka would try to keep Grasshopper off his tail, but she was right. He would be hard to trick.

So, just in case, he'd written a note. It would spoil the surprise, yes, but better have a surprise spoiled than have the WBBA start a "Find Mark Allen Committee" because Tsubasa had flipped out.

Well, that was a bit of a worst case scenario but why take the chance?

He pulled a necklace from a drawer and put it on. The soft leather strap was familiar on back of his neck, and it was good to feel it again. He grabbed the bey container which the necklace held and pulled out his bey, taking in the golden design, before putting it back.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped out into the night air. He knew exactly where he was going to practice. The only question was whether he'd take the easy way or the hard way to get there.

.

"Mark?" The very voice of the person Mark had been trying to avoid echoed through the house. Tsubasa stepped through the door. Maybe Mark was already out and about, although that wouldn't explain why he wasn't answering his phone.

Breaking into Mark's home (well, okay, technically it was Mark's uncle's) hadn't been high on the to-do list until Yu realized that he left he left his fluffy bunny there. Which despite the ridiculous amount of other toy companions he had was a big deal and Tsubasa had told him he'd grab it.

And so here he was, breaking into Mark's house. He found the bunny on the table along with a note.

_Hey, Grasshopper._

_I'm not going to be around for a little bit. Your Birthday's coming up, you know, and I'm not about to completely embarrass myself._

_-Mark_

_PS: There's a spare key under the rock by the door if you ever need to break into Uncle Joe's house again._

The Eagle wielder stared at the note. His birthday? That promise for a battle had been years ago! Mark still remembered that?

A smile found its way to his face. His birthday suddenly seemed to look like a lot more fun.

.

Kenta trotted along after Ryuga. He'd forgotten just how hard it could be to keep up with his companion's long strides. "Ryuga, wait up! I have shorter legs than you!"

His request had no effect. If anything, it seemed like Ryuga had picked up the pace a little.

They came to a river. Kenta watched Ryuga closely and hoped that they weren't going to swim across it. The current was fast, and Kenta didn't think he would be able to avoid getting swept off.

To his relief, Ryuga turned and began to follow the current. Kenta followed.

They walked along the riverbank for the rest of that day, got some fish from the river and camped for the night, and continued to follow it early the next morning. Kenta eyed the flowing water. The current was beginning to slow down a little, but it was getting wider, too. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

He was so busy watching the swirling water that he failed to notice Ryuga had stopped and walked right into him. Ryuga gave him a disapproving look for a moment, then leapt forward onto a rock in the middle of the river and bounded to the other side.

Kenta's heart sank. He wasn't sure he could jump that far. He took a few steps back, got a running start and jumped as far as he could.

The rushing water welcomed him with a splash. His hands scrambled for a hold on the rock he'd nearly reached, but the water snatched him away too fast and dragged him under. He swirled around in the current, panic gripping him as he tried to figure out which way was _up_.

A strong hand grabbed onto his arm and he felt himself getting dragged out of the water and dropped onto solid ground. He made no attempt to move, just stayed where he was and gulped in welcome oxygen.

"You okay, kid?" Kenta opened his eyes to see a dripping wet Ryuga kneeling next to him with a look on his face that resembled concern.

He nodded and rose to his feet. Ryuga stood as well and looked him over, arms crossed, with that same almost-concerned expression on his face, before he turned and started walking again, albeit at a slower pace than before.

Kenta followed him. Why, Ryuga wasn't sure. The kid very well could have drowned.

But the footsteps behind him continued, as they always did. And, legendary or not, if anyone tried to force those footsteps behind him to stop, they would have to answer to him.

Speaking of which, said footsteps were beginning to fall a little behind. He slowed his pace.

He wasn't quite sure how he fit into the whole Legendary Bladers thing now. On one hand, he had given the star fragment to Kenta. On the other, L-Drago looked and felt no different than when the star fragment was his. Not like it mattered, he was the Dragon Emperor either way.

A flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye, confirming what he'd suspected earlier. He had hoped that his gut had been wrong and crossing the river would silence the warning signs, but apparently not.

Someone was following them. He felt what he could only describe as protective instinct and slowed down more, despite Kenta's footsteps gradually getting closer. Whoever else was out there, he wanted Kenta where he could see him. The kid had been through enough already and he didn't want to take any chances.

**.**

**A/N: Well, Madman's Bey is now officially the longest thing I've written… YAY! I feel accomplished.**

**While I'm here, I figured I should clarify something. Kira in the last chapter isn't the same Kira as in Shogun Steel. She's one of my sister's OCs. I just referenced her as an acknowledgement of her timeline. But I didn't realize until a few days ago that you guys wouldn't know that (yeah, I'm a genius… not). Of course, by that time I was too lazy to edit that chapter to clear that up, and this one was almost done, so I just figured that I would let you know in this chapter's author's note. Sorry about any confusion that might have caused.**

**Anyway, feel free to review. I love to know what you guys think!**


	6. Chapter 5

Madoka growled. She should have known better than to take directions from Gingka.

"_Just go back the way we came until you get to the Big Tree. There's a path that starts there, it'll take you right to the village."_

Yes, Gingka, those were truly the clearest directions she had ever heard in her life. He was _so_ getting an earful later.

She glared daggers at the newly-repaired Pegasus. If Hokuto hadn't found her and showed her the way back, she had no doubt that she'd still be wandering around that stupid mountain.

Maybe she just needed to get out for a while. She rose from her chair, stretched, stepped outside and proceeded to wander around Koma Village.

It was a nice place. Not your typical neighborhood, for sure, but still nice. Not to mention the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. She could feel some of her agitation easing. Maybe Gingka would be granted some mercy after all. It wasn't as if he'd intentionally given her awful directions.

"Are you looking for something?" A strange voice asked.

Madoka wheeled around with a start to find a very… colorful woman behind her. She was covered in long, flowing orange and yellow clothing. A rainbow beaded headband kept the hair from her face. Her skin had seen enough sun to be beyond tan, and there were creases where smiling had left their permanent mark on her face. Madoka half expected a random cloud of butterflies to come flying out from her billowing sleeves. "Pardon me?" She asked.

"You've been wandering past here three times now, dear!" The woman explained with slow, sweeping hand motions. It almost looked like some sort of interpretive dance. "I was wondering if you'd lost something!"

"Oh! Um, no I haven't lost anything." Madoka stammered. "I've just been wandering around. It helps me relax."

"I see…" the woman pondered, "now, are you here with Gingka?" Madoka nodded.

"Wonderful!" the woman exclaimed. "It's so good to finally meet his little lady friend!"

"… Lady friend?"

"Girlfriend, dear, _girlfriend_!" she clarified.

Madoka began to feel herself blush. "No, no, I'm not his- we're not-"

She laughed. "Oh, yes, of course you're not! Don't worry, dear, I won't tell. Now, about relaxing…" She eyed Madoka with a thoughtful look, "why don't you go off that way." She pointed to her right at a small path. "It's short, but beautiful in the low light."

Madoka stammered a thank-you and the woman glided away, calling something about chi behind her shoulder. Her eyes wandered back to the trail her advisor had pointed out. It headed into the forest, but was well-kept and looked inviting. She followed it, curious to see where it went.

It didn't take long for her to reach the end, where she found a familiar figure bent over something. "Hyoma?"

He turned to face her. "Madoka! Gingka was wondering where you'd gone." He said with a smile and stood, allowing her to see what the trail led to.

It was a small pool, no more than a foot deep in the middle, with smooth, round stones on the bottom. Anchored to the center, there floated a glass bowl holding a lone white candle, its flame so new the wax hadn't even started melting yet. In ordinary lighting, it would have been pretty, but the strange woman had been right. In the quickly-fading light, it was somehow captivating in its simple beauty.

"How did you get here, anyway?" Hyoma pulled her from her thoughts and she told him about the living rainbow woman that had showed the trail to her. He nodded. "She made this, you know."

Madoka sat and gazed into the tiny flame. "What is it, anyway?"

"It's a memorial." He told her and sat on the far end of the pool.

"For what?"

Hyoma's eyes dropped. "Gingka's mom was the village storyteller, which basically meant that she was the one-woman day care for us kids when we were little." A sad smile found its way to his face. "She didn't mind, though. She loved us. She'd make us cookies, and play games, and tell us stories, of course. She was like our second mom."

The smile fled from his face. "A few years before Gingka left, she got sick. We just didn't have the medicine she needed. This isn't exactly a high-tech community… We tried to get her to a city, but she didn't make it."

Madoka didn't say anything, just watched the candle's light dance across the water. What could she say to that?

"It's getting dark, we should go." Hyoma broke the silence after a while, and Madoka followed him back to Gingka's house.

.

To say Ryuga was stressed very well could be the understatement of the year.

It wasn't the fact that he was being followed. He'd been sought out, followed, and attacked before. He could take care of his self. The problem was his companionship.

He risked a glance at Kenta from the corner of his eye. He didn't even turn his head. He needed to appear normal. That meant not checking every five seconds if Kenta was still there or had been snatched away to who knows where.

He suppressed a shudder. They had to have seen Kenta fall into the river, seen him dive after the kid- seen the brief moment of fear that must have shown.

If they had bad intentions, all they would have to do is get Kenta. He wouldn't admit it even if he had a gun to his head, but Ryuga feared losing the boy. He had grown accustomed to, and then began to enjoy, having the company.

If they hadn't figured that out before the river incident, they definitely knew now. And the potential things that could so easily be done with that tidbit of information did not bode well.

But he let none of that show, just kept walking. Kenta followed unaware of the ghosts plaguing Ryuga's mind.

That night, they set up camp just like any other, meaning the usual process for getting firewood. Kenta would wander around in one direction seeking kindling and small twigs, while Ryuga would go another in search of large branches to keep the fire going through the night. It was a tried-and-true system which was both efficient and gave each of them some time to themselves.

Kenta wandered around the trees, scanning the ground for dry, fallen leaves and smaller sticks. "There's some!" he exclaimed to nobody in particular and snatched up the twigs, adding them to his sizeable pile. Ryuga was good at starting fires, but not having enough kindling made him crankier than usual. But these sticks were all really dry, and it wasn't windy, so Ryuga should be able to set up the fire no problem. Maybe he'd even let him try to help.

Kenta was too occupied with his thoughts to notice the figures behind him.

.

**A/N: Reviews and constructive criticisms are more than welcome and have a nice day. :)**

**UPDATE: Okay, confession time... 1) I've lost my outline. Hehe, sorry... 2) while trying to recreate said outline, a random idea popped into my head to split this into two separate stories. I'm fiddling around with that a little bit to see if I like it. If I decide to do that, this story will come down and I'll start posting the first of the two which will replace it. The storyline would be more or less the same, although there would be a few differences, but mostly it'd just be a different approach to telling the same material. **

**Well, that's all I needed to say, so I'll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing before I interrupted you.**


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